


Synthetic Brother

by 256NatLiz



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26089525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/256NatLiz/pseuds/256NatLiz
Summary: Before he was found, Tommy was, in nearly every sense of the word, a homeless orphan.And an abused one at that.
Kudos: 4





	Synthetic Brother

Tommy sniffed as the rain slid down his cheek. He hated rain; it meant he would have to search for spare biocomponents and thirium while avoiding the eyes of human and android alike.  
He didn’t know what he’d done wrong. He didn’t know why they didn’t want him anymore. All he knew was he hadn’t been wanted, and somehow he found just enough parts to stay alive. Someone in an alley last week had told him about a place where androids could be safe, but it sounded like a trap. He didn’t want any more human traps.  
He crawled a bit farther into his box. It was already starting to collapse from the water. Tommy shivered. He wished he knew how to turn off his temperature sensor.  
A group of teenagers walked out of the nearby game store, laughing. Tommy watched them. He wished he had a group of friends like that.  
One boy felt Tommy’s stare and turned around. He saw Tommy’s box and walked closer, leaving his friends on the curb.  
“Hey kid,” the boy said, leaning down and putting his hands on his knees. “What’re you doing out here? Where are your parents?”  
Tommy sniffed, but said nothing.  
The boy held out his hand. “C’mon. Let’s get you some clean clothes.”  
Tommy looked at the boy’s hand, then his face. He knew his LED was circling yellow, but didn’t know why the boy was being so kind to an android. However, Tommy didn’t want to spend more time in the rain than he had to. So he took the boy’s hand.  
The boy’s grip tightened, and he dragged Tommy to his friends.  
“Hey guys! Look what I found! An android with no home.”  
So they had noticed the LED…  
Tommy pulled, trying to get out of the boy’s tight fist. The boy lifted Tommy until he wasn’t touching the ground.  
“What should we do with it?”  
“What if we take its arms off and stick a sign to it saying it stole from its owners?” suggested one girl. The others looked at her. She shrugged. “What? That’s what they used to do with thieves.”  
“I-I’m not a thief!” Tommy protested, pushing on the constricting hand with his free hand.  
“Oh look! It talks!” said one boy. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. “How about we take out its voice box?”  
“And what would you do with a voice box?” protested the original boy.  
The pocket knife boy shrugged. “Probably hide it in homeroom to freak out Mr. Jameson.”  
The whole group laughed.  
“I like that idea,” said the boy holding Tommy, lowering his hand so Tommy could stand. “Imagine all the pranks we could pull with an android voice box!”  
“If we’re going to do this, let’s do it quickly,” said a boy in the back of the group. He stepped forward and shivered. “It’s too cold to-“ He stared at Tommy. “Tommy?”  
Tommy’s LED blinked blue. “Thomas!” He reached out for the boy. “Thomas! Help me!”  
“Well, ain’t that cute!” said the boy holding Tommy, pulling Tommy back. “And how does this thing know you, Tom?”  
Thomas tucked his head. “It…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter! Let’s just decide what to do with it or leave it in the rain.”  
The teenagers decided to beat on Tommy until he stopped moving.  
After they left, the boy with the pocket knife came back, flipped open his pocket knife, and cut into Tommy’s face.  
“Nobody will believe our encounter unless I have proof.” He leaned back where he crouched, holding a piece of Tommy’s synthetic skin in his fingers. “Hm. Not quite as tough as I’d thought it’d be. Good to know.”  
Lightning flashed, illuminating the boy with a loud thunder clap surrounding. Tommy flinched.  
The boy noticed. “Scared of a sound? Everyone knows it’s not the thunder that’ll kill you.” He pushed himself up as he said, “It’s the lightning.” And he ran off. Tommy shivered the best he could, wishing the rain would just stop.

A year later, and Tommy was in the same alleyway. He sat where his box used to stand, watching the leaves fall. He’d done his best to cover up his cheek scar, which refused to close because the skin was physically missing, but either the top or bottom of the scar would poke out from whatever he used to cover it with.  
A teenager walked by him, his hands in his pockets. Tommy wouldn’t have remembered him, except that he backtracked.  
“Tommy?” Tommy looked up; it was Thomas.  
“Why are you still here?” he asked.   
Tommy shrugged. “Nowhere else to go,” he answered, looking at the ground.  
Thomas scoffed. “No kidding. Is this where you’ve been ever since my parents kicked you out?”  
Tommy shrugged again. “Not always.”  
“Why didn’t you go back to CyberLife? Get resold?”  
“Didn’t want to…”  
“Didn’t…” Thomas shifted where he stood. “You wanted to do something else?”  
Tommy rubbed his arm. “Kinda…” He looked up at Thomas. “Kinda wanted to stay with you.”  
Thomas straightened. “Why?”  
Tommy stared at him. “That’s what I was designed for. I was made especially for your parents. And then…” Tommy looked back at the ground. “You were found. I hoped...”  
Thomas held up a hand. “Don’t say it.” Tommy shut his mouth.  
Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you know what happened after I came home?”  
Tommy shook his head.  
“They hated me. Gave me ridiculous expectations. Didn’t tuck me in at night anymore. They’d gotten so used to having an android son, they didn’t know how to raise a human one.”  
Tommy’s shoulders dropped and he looked up at Thomas. “I’m sorry-“  
Thomas grabbed Tommy by the shirt collar. “DON’T you dare! You don’t get to be sorry! YOU made them like that! YOU ruined my childhood!”  
Tommy stared in Thomas’ eyes. He saw anger and frustration; it scared him. Tommy felt tears in his eyes.  
Thomas breathed hard in Tommy’s face before throwing him into the alley. “I hope you rot in there. Or, better yet, maybe I should call the cops.”  
Tommy stayed where he’d been thrown, staring up at the boy he had temporarily replaced.  
Thomas glanced at his watch. “Crap. Mom’s gonna have my ass…” And he ran off.  
Tommy watched Thomas leave and let the tears fall.  
“I didn’t mean to…” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Thomas.”


End file.
